


Coffee's Bitter, But You Make it Sweet

by frogtear



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bakery, Bakery and Coffee Shop, BoKuroo Week 2020, Coffee, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27032239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frogtear/pseuds/frogtear
Summary: *on hiatus atm*This is my first time ever writing a fic, please don't be too harsh lmaoAnyways, I've been living in bokuroo brainrot hell for the past week and I plan to continue this!! Keep in mind I'm in school as well as an artist so updates might be slow! :)-Thanks to Cpwtim for saying yes to me when I asked if I should make a bokuroo ficI've made a playlist with songs that I think relate to this AU/my plans for this fic so I'll leave the link here and above every new chapter! I'll keep adding more songs as time goes on, if you have any suggestions please let me know!vhttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/2GP80qREo4dPFWqTDL2z17?si=X1N1aySETQKLzV3-3H-rSA
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *on hiatus atm*   
> This is my first time ever writing a fic, please don't be too harsh lmao  
> Anyways, I've been living in bokuroo brainrot hell for the past week and I plan to continue this!! Keep in mind I'm in school as well as an artist so updates might be slow! :)  
> -  
> Thanks to Cpwtim for saying yes to me when I asked if I should make a bokuroo fic  
> I've made a playlist with songs that I think relate to this AU/my plans for this fic so I'll leave the link here and above every new chapter! I'll keep adding more songs as time goes on, if you have any suggestions please let me know!  
> v  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2GP80qREo4dPFWqTDL2z17?si=X1N1aySETQKLzV3-3H-rSA

Bokuto sighed as his stomach growled aggressively, _man I really should’ve packed lunch like Akaashi told me to_. He rummaged through his pockets and came up with a few crumpled bills, several receipts that were months old, multiple candy wrappers and lint. He didn’t have much money on him since he forgot his wallet at home. Akaashi swore that Bokuto would lose his head if it wasn’t attached to his neck, he was probably right. 

Shoving his hand back into his pocket, he looked up to survey his surroundings. The smell of grease caught his attention, he knew he shouldn’t enter the fast food place but his watering mouth told a different story. Just imagining the taste of grease made his stomach growl ten times louder. As he made his way towards the building, he sent a silent prayer that Akaashi wouldn’t smell the grease on him when he came back home. When he opened the door he heard a little ring come above his head, signaling a waitress that someone had just arrived. The girl who appeared in front of him was beautiful, she had flawless skin, eyes that put the ocean to shame, and smooth, raven black hair that softly rested above her collarbone. And if that wasn’t enough, there was a small beauty mark that rested on her chin perfectly, it was almost as if an angel had painted it on there.

She glanced at Bokuto and smiled, she had perfect teeth. “How can I help you?” Even her voice was angelic, Bokuto wondered if she was even real. He slowly darted his eyes across the room, the first thing that caught his eye was a black cat with gorgeous yellow eyes. It stared at him, he had wondered when they added cats to the fast food chain but he had fries waiting for him. Bokuto grinned and glanced back at the waitress in front of him. “I’m here alone,” he darted his eyes to his shoes “and hungry.” He slowly glanced back up to the waitress, her name tag read “Kiyoko.” She promptly turned around, leading him to a booth “This way please.” After she seated Bokuto, she grabbed a notepad that he had failed to notice earlier and looked at him. “I’ll have your finest burger please!” Bokuto grinned, he was finally going to get his hands on the greasy food he so desperately wanted.

Kiyoko looked at him confused, Bokuto could only stare back. As the silence grew he became nervous, did he say something wrong? The silence was broken when a deep cackle came from across the room. Bokuto glanced over to his left behind the counter, where the sound was coming from. His eyes saw a man doubled over, the howling got louder. Swiping his finger under his eye the man looked up and met Bokuto's eyes, his hair was wild and paired with his tan skin and yellow eyes he was good looking, anyone would be able to tell that. “I have heard so many things from customers, but this is a first!” he grinned and started to laugh once again “I mean a burger? Come on!” He slapped his hand onto the counter before regaining his composure.

“Is this not a fast food chain..?” The man doubled over once again, this time laughing so hard that the only sounds that could be heard were his sharp inhales. “Wrong place, it’s the next door over,” he wheezed “this has to be the funniest thing that's ever happened to me.” Bokuto, although he was embarrassed, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of the man. “This is actually a cat cafe. Y’know like, nyah.” He chuckled as he moved his hands to emphasize the ‘nyah’. Bokutos heart skipped a beat. He quickly glanced away, feeling his face heat up. The floor looked awfully interesting. “Well, what do you serve here..?” He mumbled, embarrassment taking over him. A laminated piece of paper softly made its way into his sight, he took it and gave Kiyoko a grateful glance. She smiled and walked to the back room. “You can handle this one, Tetsu.” Bokuto stared at the menu like it was going to run away from him. “So,” the cat eyed man drawled out, his voice sounded like honey. “Do you know what you want to order yet?” Bokutos eyes scanned the menu, although he couldn’t understand what half of the items were. What the hell is a Baumkuchen?? He pointed at the first thing he saw and recognized, then looked up to be greeted by the man who was bent down, inches away from his face. “Coffee?” He grimaced, “Are you absolutely sure about that decision?” Bokuto nodded eagerly, “I love coffee! You can’t go wrong with it!”

He had made a huge miscalculation. It tasted like watery dirt. It was bitter, sour, the liquid didn’t even remotely look like coffee. Maybe milk and sugar could fix it? He made another miscalculation, today wasn’t his day. Not only did the coffee look like it had been digested thrice, it smelled like dirt. At least before it had smelt a bit like coffee. He glanced up at the man with wild black hair, deflated. The man simply shrugged and sat down on the opposite side of the booth. “I asked you if you were sure, didn’t I..?” He drew out, Bokuto realized he was waiting for his name. “Bokuto,” he quietly murmured as he glanced into the cup holding the ‘coffee.’ “I didn’t think it would be this bad though.” The realization hit him that it might have come off as rude. His eyes rushed up towards the man, “I didn’t mean it like that! It isn’t that bad, see?” He took a large sip of the concoction in the cup and instantly regretted it as he suddenly had to urge to spit it out. The man across from him looked shocked, but his expression slowly turned into a grin as Bokuto grimaced after managing to force the liquid down.

“Dude, relax! I don’t want to be sued for poisoning you.” The cat eyed man chuckled “My name’s Kuroo,” he gave Bokuto a onceover “however you can call be ‘devilishly handsome’ or ‘hot stuff.’” He said with an exaggerated wink. Bokuto felt his face redden, he quickly grabbed the menu to cover it. “Can I get the strawberry cake then?” he managed to squeak out as he slowly put the menu down, feeling the heat fade from his face. Kuroo was smiling, which revealed his singular dimple. “Gotcha, coming right up!” He said as he swiftly made his way out of the booth and into the kitchen. Bokuto put his menu down, as well as his guard. The black cat that was eyeing him earlier suddenly leapt onto his table, startling Bokuto and making him nearly drop his cup. “Oh, it’s just you,” he sighed as he scratched under its chin “you scared the crap outta me!” The cat softly purred and pushed its head against his palm.

The cat reminded him of the man who was in front of him only moments ago. Its honey coloured eyes with green and gold flecks were mesmerizing. Feeling something brush against his leg, he slowly looked down to see another cat. This one was white with splashes of grey along its back, leading to a grey poofy tail. Bokuto was mesmerized with how soft the cat's fur looked. It glanced over to him with its round honey-brown eyes. Bokuto reached down towards the feline but soon realized that it must’ve been skittish since it had fled to the other side of the room in a few short seconds. He sent a silent apology to the cat and looked around the cafe. The space was a decent size, windows lined the walls across from him and to his right, allowing natural light inside during the day. Booths lined the wall to the right of the entrance where he was sitting, while normal chairs and tables were against the windows. There were a few armchairs scattered around the cafe, making it seem homey. His quick glance around the cafe was interrupted by yelling coming from the kitchen, “Kuroo! The next time you untie my apron while I’m cooking, I can and _will_ hurt you!” Kuroo raced out of the kitchen, followed shortly by a man grasping tightly onto his apron with his left hand, his right holding a dirtied whisk. The first noticeable thing about the man wasn’t his anger, it was the height difference between him and Kuroo. While Kuroo seemed to be above average height, this man seemed to be below. His dirty strawberry blonde hair was short and curled at the ends. When the angry man finally caught up to Kuroo, he smacked him upside the head causing Bokuto to flinch in shock.

“Yaku,” Kuroo whined “you’re so mean to me! I’m your boss!” Yaku huffed angrily while glaring at the taller man, “If you have such a problem with what I’m doing then fire me!” Kuroo stilled, letting the feisty man glaring at him know that he had won the ‘argument’. Yaku smirked, then turned around to enter the kitchen “I know you need me!” he hollered over his shoulder, snickering as he shut the door behind him. Kuroo glanced over to bokuto and smiled widely, revealing the slice of strawberry cake on a small porcelain plate in his right hand. Bokutos stomach growled loudly, he had completely forgotten why he had accidentally walked into the cafe in the first place. Kuroo sat down on the opposite side of the booth like he had before and slid the slice of cake over to Bokuto. To say he devoured the cake is an understatement. Kuroo glanced at the plate then back up to Bokuto, “That good huh?” Bokuto opened his mouth that was still half full, closed it, swallowed the remainder of the cake and opened it once more, “Dude! This is literally amazing!” the round eyed man spoke enthusiastically, how could Kuroo have not told him about the desserts they served sooner?

The cat eyed man in front of him chuckled, leaned back into the booth and sighed “Well it’s great to know that someone likes my favourite thing to bake.” Bokuto turned his head slightly in confusion, “You made this?!” He looked at Kuroo in awe, “It tastes amazing!” Kuroo looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, murmuring a quick ‘thank you’. Bokuto continued to grin at Kuroo, seeing him flustered was entertaining. Bokuto checked his watch, when he realized he should’ve been home an hour prior his eyes almost popped out. “Oh crap, oh crap!” he searched through his pockets frantically, looking for the few bills he had on him “Akaashi’s gonna kill me!” Now it was Kuroo’s turn to look amused, “In a rush?” he chuckled airily. Bokuto quickly nodded as he gathered all of his bills and coins and looked over at Kuroo. “Is this enough?” Kuroo surveyed the money that was handed to him, the total was $10.35. Kuroo looked up to Bokuto, giving him back the 3 dimes and nickel, “Keep the change.” he smiled. Bokuto nodded quickly, said thank you, and rushed out of the shop, leaving Kuroo with the $10. Kuroo slowly got up a few minutes after Bokuto had left, chuckling to himself as he opened the register.

Yaku walked out of the kitchen, the new clutz of an employee followed. Yaku eyed Kuroo and the two bills he was holding. “What’s that for?” He questioned him, giving him a suspicious look. “Oh, you know, the strawberry cake.” Kuroo said as he sorted the bills into the register, not sparing a glance to the peculiar pair to his left. One significantly taller than the other, his round eyes giving Yaku a confused look. “You can’t just underprice your hard work like that Kuroo!” He exclaimed, obviously frustrated. “Listen Yaku, it’s fi-” the shorter man cut him off “Kuroo I know you spent all night baking that cake! Don’t underprice your hard work!” Kuroo finally glanced over at him “Yaku, don’t worry. It’s fine.” His tone left no room for argument. Yaku swiftly turned around, tugging the taller man along with him. “Let’s go Lev.” The taller man sputtered out “Yes Yaku!” and left.

Kuroo leaned against the counter, the experience with Bokuto would for sure be one to remember. Chuckling to himself, he slowly made his way up the stairs leading to his home.


	2. Chapter 2

As the hot, long, green days ended, the weather got colder and winds started to blow stronger; colourful leaves being blown across the city. Bokuto had become a frequent at Kuroos cafe, he had also made friends with some of the employees as well. Kiyoko was very quiet, yet kind. Yaku hadn’t shown Bokuto the same hostility he had for Kuroo. Bokuto had learned that Lev was a mess, but he was good at cleaning. Bokuto thought about the day he had stumbled into the cafe by accident, he reminisced about it often. After he had left, Akaashi nearly chewed his head off since they made a rule that Bokuto wasn’t supposed to wander around after taking photos, he had gotten lost in the past and that scenario did not need to be repeated. Bokuto whistled to himself as he left the classroom, school had started once again. Of course, he didn’t mind going to school and doing the work, he had a knack for photography. He loved to take photos, he took them on a daily basis (although most of them were on his cell phone in low quality). He liked to look at the photos he had taken throughout the years and remember the memories that were stored in each individual photograph. 

Without realizing, Bokutos feet lead him towards Kuroos cafe. It was a 10 minute walk from campus, although if he wanted it to be quicker he could quicken his pace and make it there in 5. The wind nipped at his skin, he slowly pulled up his scarf that Akaashi had bought for him several years ago as a birthday present and fidgeted with the camera hung around his neck. He smiled to himself as he recognized the entrance to the cafe. As he opened the door, he heard a familiar chime above him, alerting the employees that a customer had arrived. Bokuto recognized a familiar carroty head of hair zipping towards the entrance. “Hi!” He said breathlessly, then looked up and smiled widely as he realized who the customer was “Hi Bokuto! Your usual seat is empty!” Was all he said before he grabbed Bokuto's arm and dragged him towards the seat. Bokutos “seat” was the booth that he had sat in the first time he had entered the cafe. He hadn’t failed to notice that usually there weren’t many other customers. However, he had recognized that there was another regular besides him. He was tall, messy blonde curls crowded his forehead and he always had a brooding look on his face. He was here today as well, although he had company. The boy beside him had black hair, although with the sunlight leaking through the windows it looked green. Freckles covered his face, almost like paint splatters. He was talking animatedly to the boy with blonde hair, moving his hands around to accentuate whatever he was rambling about.

“Hinata, relax dude! No one’s gonna steal the booth.” Bokuto said as he slipped off his scarf and vest, the camera stayed hung around his neck. Hinata looked up at him with his round, brown eyes, “Bokuto,” he huffed “you never know the possibilities!” Bokuto hummed softly “I’d like strawberry cake please.” The short boy gave him a weird look, “How can you even like strawberry flavoured things? They taste nasty!” He said as he stuck his tongue out, then marched towards the kitchen. Bokuto stared outside through the window on his right and decided that autumn was his favourite season. The leaves were vibrant, which Bokuto thought made them beautiful. There were so many possibilities with what types of photos he could take. He glanced down at the camera resting on his chest and turned it on. Akaashi had bought this newer model for his birthday, Bokuto would forever be grateful. He started to scroll through his photos and stopped to chuckle at three in particular. It was a series of events Bokuto liked to call “Sleeping Beauty.” Akaashi had fallen asleep while studying for a test one night, Bokuto had decided to change the time on his phone to the next day and set an alarm for after school hours. Akaashi had freaked out, and fallen straight onto his ass the moment he saw the time. The first photo was of Akaashi sleeping peacefully, the next was of him with an immense amount of panic shown on his face, the last was of course; him on the floor. 

Bokuto heard someone take a seat in the chair in front of him, when he looked up he was greeted with eyes that reminded him of honey paired with wild hair and a soft smile. It reminded Bokuto why he had become a frequent in the first place, the sole purpose was to see Kuroo (of course the delicious food and atmosphere were a plus). Kuroo didn’t seem to mind chatting with Bokuto, when he returned after their first meeting they hit it off instantly and chatted whenever Bokuto had stopped by. “I switched it up a little this time,” Kuroo licked his lips in anticipation “I really hope it tastes better even if it’s just a little bit.” He said as he slid a cup of coffee over, as well as the strawberry cake Bokuto had ordered. This routine had become something so regular that Bokuto didn’t think anything of it. Kuroo would try to whip up his best cup of coffee, Bokuto would try to stomach it. Bokuto glanced at the liquid inside of the cup suspiciously, “I’m not gonna die..right?” Kuroo chuckled “Of course not!” Bokuto lifted the cup up slowly and took a large sip, just like he usually did. It took all of his strength not to grimace and flat out refuse to swallow the coffee, how could someone mess up coffee this bad? When Bokuto swallowed the liquid, he realized that Kuroo was looking over at him hopefully. He gave him a small smile, “This time, it actually wasn’t that bad!” Of course, he was lying. But seeing Kuroo’s face light up was worth it, he looked like a little kid in a candy shop. “I’m really glad!” He grinned before turning his head towards the window, and placed his head onto his crossed arms which rested on top of the table.

Bokuto had planned to shovel the delicious cake into his mouth, but something about how peaceful Kuroo looked in that moment made him freeze. The sunlight shining through the window onto his smooth olive skin made it look like Kuroo was glowing. He quickly grabbed the camera that hung around his neck and angled it towards Kuroo. His hair was a mess, it just added to the photo. Once he had snapped a few photos, he checked the quality of them. He was mesmerized by the few photos he had taken of Kuroo, his presence was noticeable and in a good way. I don’t even think I’m gonna to have to do touch-ups or add any filters he thought to himself, quite surprised at how photogenic the man slouched over in front of him was. 

They sat there in silence, there were a few exceptions, such as the clinking and slight scratching of Bokuto’s fork against his plate that could be heard as he devoured the delicious cake he had been longing for. He had been so focused on the food that he hadn’t realized that Kuroo had repositioned himself, he sat up now with his face resting against his palm looking at Bokuto. “You got a little bit right over here.” He murmured as he swiped his thumb in the corner of his mouth. Bokuto mimicked the action, managing to smear frosting all over his face instead of cleaning it. Kuroo chuckled and grabbed a napkin from the container resting in the middle of the table. “Don’t worry, I got this one.” He said with an exaggerated wink, which somehow still managed to make Bokuto's heart flutter as he nodded quickly. Bokuto watched Kuroo's eyes focus on the smear of frosting that rested across his face, he could feel how gentle Kuroo’s touch was. He was enveloped in a welcoming warmth, it only lasted for a few seconds before he snapped back into reality. “See,” Kuroo grinned “all better!” Bokuto grinned back and said thank you, leaving Kuroo muttering something about friends not needing to thank each other. Hearing the term ‘friends’ leave Kuroo's mouth made Bokuto happy, they weren’t acquaintances, they were friends. “So,” Kuroo clasped his hands together, “would you be interested in going to the movies this weekend?” Bokuto looked at him wide eyed, was Kuroo trying to ask him out? Kuroo must’ve gotten the message because his eyes became wide before he opened his mouth, words rushing out. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that! I meant do you want to come with me and the gang, y’know, everyone that works here?” He didn’t breathe while spewing everything out. Bokuto didn’t have any plans for the weekend, “Sure!” he chirped.

Kuroo exhaled, as if he had been holding his breath in. Bokuto had the realization that he didn’t know when the plans would take place, other than on the weekend. “So, when and where are we gonna watch the movie?” Bokuto questioned the amber eyed man that sat comfily in front of him. Kuroo glanced down at the table, then back up to Bokuto before speaking. “Give me your number, I’ll text you the details.” It took Bokuto longer than it should have to realize what Kuroo had said, leaving an awkward silence between them. He quickly grabbed his vest and searched the pockets for his phone while screaming internally. _Holy crap, He actually wants my number! _He finally managed to find his phone which had been located in his vests left pocket. While handing his phone over to Kuroo so he could put his information in, he managed to almost drop his phone twice which led to Kuroo trying his best to hold in a laugh. After typing in his information, he handed Bokuto back his phone along with his phone. Bokuto quickly typed out his number, rereading it several times to make sure that he had written his number down and not some strangers before handing the phone back to Kuroo. As Bokuto moved to grab his wallet to pay Kuroo, Kuroo pushed his hand away lightly “On the house.” He grinned, getting up to return to his place behind the counter. Bokuto left a generous tip for Hinata to make up for the freebie and exited the small cafe he had learned to love over time. As soon as he exited the cafe, he let his happiness show on his face. This weekend was going to be fun.__


End file.
